Ireland's top ten drinks of choice

Irish coffee is one of the most iconic Irish drinks, but there are many non-alcoholic favorites too!
Photo by: Wikimedia Commons

For centuries, Ireland has produced world-renowned beverages, which are distributed throughout the world. A nation famous for Guinness, obsessive tea drinkers and some of the best whiskey on the planet, Ireland's indigenous beverages offer a varied selection for any drinker.

There is no escaping the impact beverages such as Guinness and Baileys have had on the global market. It is rare to travel any to any location in the world and not be greeted by the familiar sight of an Irish drink. We have even included some of our childhood favorites that we all love to crave!

Guinness

Like silk being poured into a glass. The Guinness brand is synonymous with Ireland. In 1759, Arthur Guinness acquired a four acre site and signed a 9,000-year lease for the St. James' Gate Brewery in Dublin. The brewery became well known for brewing “porter,” which was a dark ale. Over the past 250 years, the dark ale has evolved in to an unique dark stout, which is enjoyed across the globe. According to the company, over 10 million glasses of Guinness are enjoyed daily around the world.

Irish Whiskey

Ireland is home to several distilleries, which produce some of the world's finest whiskeys. Uisce Beatha is the Gaelic term for whiskey and translates to “water of life”. The most common types of whiskey distilled in Ireland include single malt, single grain and blended whiskey. Examples of Irish whiskey include Black Bush, Bushmills, Jameson, Paddy, Powers, and Tullamore Dew to name a few.

Tea

Earl, chamomile, green, chai - offer any of these varieties to your average Irish person and they will most likely decline. If it's not black and doesn’t contain either sugar or milk, then it's not a cup of Irish tea. Most Irish people begin their day with a cup of tea and continue to drink copious amounts of their favorite hot beverage throughout the day. Irish tea is a strong blend of several black teas, mostly Assam Indian teas. There are several Irish companies that produce tea, but Barry's and Lyons are the market leaders and are the cause of rivalry between friends and family!

Irish Coffee

An Irish coffee is a coffee with a kick! This popular after-dinner drink combines coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar and freshly whipped cream. Here is our guide on how to make the perfect Irish Coffee

Put a tea spoon into the glass (best to use a glass with a stem) and pour some boiling water into the glass to warn it up. (the reason you put in the spoon is so that the spoon takes the heat from the water and so the glass will not crack, but be careful!).

Pour the shot of whiskey into the glass.

Pour in the coffee up to within 15mm (1.5cm) from the top.

Put in the two spoons of sugar and stir until all the sugar has dissolved. You will see if the sugar has dissolved by looking at the base of the glass (the sugar ensures that the cream will float).

Place the spoon on to the rim of coffee, face up (ensure that the curved part of the spoon is touching the coffee, touching...not submerged). With the cream in a small jug, pour it onto the spoon. The cream will flow over the edge of the spoon and rest on top of the coffee.

What you should be left with is a glass of black coffee (not cloudy and with no trace of cream) with a white collar about 10mm (1cm) deep.

Miwadi

Miwadi takes its name from Mineral Water distributors, who invented the dilutable fruit drink in Dublin in 1927. During the war, the drink was sold in chemists as it was a fruit cordial and was often given to people when they were sick. The growth in supermarkets in the 1970's made the drink more accessible to consumers. It was bottled in glass up until the 1980s, when plastic became more common. Ireland's number one cordial has a range of flavors including Orange, blackcurrant, lemon, lime, and tropical, which are all produced in Dublin. A popular hangover cure, customers will often ask for a pint of Miwadi in bars. Bulmers Cider

Bulmers original Irish Cider is made in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. Cider production in the town began when local man William Magner founded the company in 1935. It is more commonly known abroad as Magners Irish Cider. Their tradition of brewing cider has been developed over the past seven decades and continues to be a popular refreshing cider enjoyed around the world. A total of 17 different types of apples are grown in Bulmer's orchards in Clonmel, Ireland. The refreshing alcoholic cider beverage is most commonly enjoyed over ice. TK Red Lemonade

No childhood occasion was every complete without a giant tumbler of red lemonade. TK Red Lemonade remains the brand leader in Ireland. Originally Taylor Keith, it continues to be Ireland's leading value soft drink brand and is distributed by C&C beverages. Many people like to mix the popular beverage with their favorite Irish whiskey.